An asynchronous message-passing distributed algorithm for the global critical section problem

TL;DR

This paper introduces an asynchronous distributed algorithm for the global (l,k)-CS problem, ensuring controlled concurrent access with efficient message complexity in message-passing systems.

Contribution

It presents a novel composition-based distributed solution for the global (l,k)-CS problem in asynchronous message-passing models, with optimized message complexity.

Findings

Message complexity is O(|Q|), typically sqrt(n).

The algorithm effectively controls the number of processes in the critical section.

Versatile composition method for l-mutual inclusion and k-mutual exclusion.

Abstract

This paper considers the global $(l,k)$-CS problem which is the problem of controlling the system in such a way that, at least $l$ and at most $k$ processes must be in the CS at a time in the network. In this paper, a distributed solution is proposed in the asynchronous message-passing model. Our solution is a versatile composition method of algorithms for $l$-mutual inclusion and $k$-mutual exclusion. Its message complexity is $O(|Q|)$, where $|Q|$ is the maximum size for the quorum of a coterie used by the algorithm, which is typically $|Q| = \sqrt{n}$.